Pride In Your Own Awesomeness: Priceless

I have been feeling pretty desperate and anxious since I lost my job and went into freelancing so I could devote more time to my fashion. Well that and because the economy is so desperately shitty that the jobs have been scarce. Specially good, high paying medical writing jobs that don't want you onsite , busting butt 60 hours a week, in basically... New Jersey.

Yes, I have gone hungry. Yes, I have been pulling through for the last 8 months by the sheer grace of God and the Loas and my gurdian angels, and making the rent , my car payment and the utilities has been miraculous month after month.

And I have not asked anyone (other than the Heavenly) for any help.

But what I have accomplished despite the circumstances is downright incredible.

Ok... I started taking sketching at the end of January. Other than that I had no training except "O"level art.

Here is my work...

And here is the work of Christian Siriano, the winner of Project Runway

John Galliano

The designer for Agent Provocateur

and Alexander McQueen

Making the choices I have made has been tough. I have busted my ass.

But knowing that I am in the same league as these guys and I am kicking the ass of some of them ( actually the one getting all the media attention and parties and guest spots on TV shows) is bloody PRICELESS.

Look at me grin .

Cojucaru Vs. Tim Gunn...

Steven Cojucaru, the dude that does red carpet reports and pimps stuff for several mags a la InStyle, happens to be from my Monty. That is Montreal. My adoptive hometown where I was happy for the first time in my life.

Everyone knows I spent a big chunk of my life there for school

I believe he hails from Notre Dame de Grace and he went to Dawson which is the best known fashion program there...

I've hear he might have gone to Concordia too.

I went to Universite de Montreal which is like the francophone version of Howard or Spellman I guess, from the way we are treated in comparison to the anglophone schools, McGill and Concordia, even though the academic standards at Universite de Montreal , Laval and Sherbrooke are higher than at the Anglophone schools which cater to Americans that want to come over to study or do research or "experience the culture"... bitches ( like my gays would say) if you want to experience the culture, try writing a thesis on neurochemistry IN FRENCH, yo! When I tell people I went to school in Montreal they always assume I went to McGill. Well, if I had wanted to go to a school that believes itself to be an Ivy League school, I would have applied to an Ivy League school.

I did. Yale and Dartmouth. Could not afford it and they told me that...LOL

And they ALWAYS shrug their snooty noses when I say my alma mater is UdeM. No WONDER the francophones and the Parti Quebequois ressent the hell out of the snooty West Island anglophones.

But Cojo and The Gunn had a thrown down in Torontah, ON and guess who packed the house? Here an article from the post...

A fashion fanatic faceoff

Style mavericks compete for an audience at The Elle Show

Shinan Govani, National Post Published: Wednesday, April 30, 2008

..Peter J. Thompson, National Post

Could it be that Canada has more love for a catty Carly Simon-resembling runway reporter with a kidney transplant and lots of lip balm than it does for a silver-haired sophisticate with a knack for really big words and a BFF named Heidi?

It would appear so. Over the weekend, it was a matchup, so to speak, of contemporary gay male icons sprung from TV-land. Two icons from varying points on the gay grid, but two icons nonetheless. Red carpet guru Steven Cojocaru and Project Runway mentor Tim Gunn, that's who. Both were both booked for that three dimensional fashion event known as The Elle Show; both came, both gamely gabbed. But only one of 'em -- we're looking at you, Cojo -- packed the house.

"He must have had four times the crowd," reports a spy, comparing the turnout at Toronto's Exhibition Place for Steven vs. Tim.

A case of home-country advantage? Cojo was born and raised in Montreal, after all. Or just proof that, were the culture a big Winners, more people would be buying from the you-go-girl, Elton John-gay aisle than they would be from the drawing room-perfect, Noel Coward-gay aisle? Perhaps, perhaps.

OK, this is what else we hear. Cojo, the ex-pat now based in L.A., arrived solo for his presentation on Saturday (while his parents were actually checking out a Winners store!). In addition to sharing his views on plastic surgery done well ( Demi Moore) and not-so-well ( Meg Ryan), he weighed in on red carpet hits and misses. Anne Hathaway and Gwyneth Paltrow are his true loves, but Mariah Carey he can do without. Indeed, he said something along the lines of the singer being the worst-dressed woman in Hollywood. Indeed, he also warned the teens in the audience about holding Lindsay Lohan and Paris Hilton in high esteem, referring to them as "stupid girls."

Tim Gunn's turn, meanwhile, was on Sunday, the next day. After grabbing breakfast at One in The Hazelton -- you can't give style counsel on an empty stomach, you know -- he appeared at the show where he shared his personal taste philosophy. There were, I'm told, some pretty passionate Project Runway fans lined up for photos and autographs -- and so, if the quantity wasn't there, at least the quality was.

ALSO, I SEE, I HEAR:

-That TV-titan-turned-Zoomer-soothsayer Moses Znaimer -- out now to spread the gospel of the ripened time-of-their-life set -- had this ageing scoop to share recently with TV's CBC News Sunday. "I have news for you," he declared. "The eyes start to go at 18."

-That nighlife poobahs Nick Di Donato and Charles Khabouth were out doing the intimate-dinner thing last Saturday with friends and family at their joint, new, tingly restaurant, Spice Route. Tomorrow, the King West spot grandly opens.

-That Rosalie Sharp, a.k.a. Mrs. Four Seasons, is the special honouree at this week's Rose Ball, held annually by the St. George's Society, Toronto's oldest charity. All the proceeds from this year's gala? They're going to OCAD, the art college (she's a grad!).

SCENE! HEARD! MORE!

-Cussin' celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay searching, to no avail, for his lost Air Canada luggage at Toronto's Pearson Airport over le weekend.

-Sailors, rowers and runners (think Bruny Surin) are among those expected at The Bay's big Olympic apparel launch tonight.

- Hilary Swank and Richard Gere shooting a scene the other day for Amelia -- that flying biopic -- outside the Fairmont Royal York.

sgovani@nationalpost.com

Incorporating Veves into the Fashion Collection

I am thinking of incorporating Veve's into some of the accesories for the "Sweeney Todd" collection.

This is what Veves are....

The Voodoo religion as it is practiced in the United States has its roots in the African Diaspora. The African Diaspora refers to the forced enslavement of Africans from Africa to the Western hemisphere.The slaves brought their traditional religions and spiritual beliefs with them, which eventually became cloaked in Christianity in an ingenious move to avoid further persecution. Striking similarities exist between the Loa and Orisha of traditional African religions and Christian myths and saints. Vévés are used in most of the African Diaspora religions, including Santeria, Palo Mayombe, Macumbe, Quimbanda and are symbolic representations of the Divine.

Voodoo vévés are symbolic designs used in ritual, drawn on the ground with cornmeal prior to or during a Voodoo ceremony. These designs represent the various powers and attributes of the Loa (God, Goddess, Spirit, Orisha) to be invoked, and serve as a focal point for invocation and offerings. Several vévés of different Loa may be drawn for one ceremony. The designs incorporate well recognized traditional elements, but reflect also the individual intentions and creative skill of the Houngan or Mambo.

My daughter Saffi said already that the first design was a bit " Sade-ish"

Just imagine what she is going to think when I go "Serpent and the Rainbow" on top of it...

I was planning on usinng stylized "tattoo art" Sailor-Jerrified versions of the Veves for Erzulie Freda ( The Haitian version of Oshun), Erzulie Dantor ( angry Oshun), La Sirene (Yemaya) and maybe Baron Samedi which is a bit like the Haitian/ New Orleans male version of a Mexican Day of the dead thing...

Here is a bit more about those Loas

Erzulie Freda Dahomey, the Rada aspect of Erzulie, is the spirit of love, beauty, jewellery, dancing, luxury, and flowers. She wears three wedding rings, one for each husband - Damballa, Agwe and Ogoun. She is often represented by a heart symbol. Her colours are pink, red and gold. Coquettish and very fond of beauty and finery, Erzuile Freda is femininity and compassion embodied, yet she also has a darker side; she is seen as jealous and spoiled and within some vodoun circles is considered to be lazy.

In her Petro nation aspect as Erzulie Dantor she is often depicted as a scarred and buxom woman, holding a child protectively in one hand and a knife in the other. She is a warrior and particularly a fierce protector of women and children. It is believed that a common depiction of Erzulie Dantor has its roots in copies of the icon of the Black Madonna of Częstochowa, brought to Haiti by Polish soldiers fighting on both sides of the Haitian Revolution from 1802 onwards.^[1] Other aspects include Grande Erzulie, who is seen as an old lady whom nobody loves anymore, and Erzulie Ge-Rouge/Erzulie Red Eyes.

Baron Samedi (Baron Saturday, also Baron Samdi, Bawon Samedi, or Bawon Sanmdi) is one of the aspects of Baron, one of the loa. He is a loa of the dead, along with Baron's other incarnations Baron Cimetière, and Baron La Croix. Baron Samedi is usually depicted with a white top hat, black tuxedo, dark glasses, and cotton plugs in the nostrils, as if to resemble a corpse dressed and prepared for burial in Haitian style. He has a white, frequently skull-like face (or actually has a skull for a face) and speaks in a nasal voice. He is one of the Guédé, or an aspect of them, or possibly their spiritual father. His wife is the loa Maman Brigitte. 'Samedi' means 'Saturday' in French, though there are alternate etymologies offered.

Baron Samedi stands at the crossroads, where the souls of dead humans pass on their way to Guinee. As well as being the all-knowing loa of death, he is a sexual loa, frequently represented by phallic symbols and noted for disruption, obscenity, debauchery, and having a particular fondness for tobacco and rum. Additionally, he is the loa of sex and resurrection.

Yemaja is an orisha, originally of the Yoruba religion, who has become prominent in many African-American religions. Africans from what is now called Yorubaland brought Yemaya and a host of other deities/energy forces in nature with them when they were brought to the shores of the Americas as captives. She is the ocean, the essence of motherhood, and a protector of children.

She is venerated in Vodou as LaSiren.

In Santería, Yemayá is seen as the mother of all living things as well as the owner of all waters. Her number is 7 (a tie into the 7 seas), her colors are blue and white (representing water), and her favorite offerings include melons, molasses ("melaço" - sugar cane syrup), whole fried fishes and pork rinds. She has been syncretized with Our Lady of Regla.

Yemaja has several caminos (paths). At the initiation ceremony known as kariocha, or simply ocha, the exact path is determined through divination. Her paths include:

• Ogunte: In this path, she is a warrior, with a belt of iron weapons like Ogun. This path lives by the rocky coastliness. Her colors are crystal, dark blue and some red.
  
• Asesu: This path is very old. She is said to be deaf and answers her patrons slowly. She is associated with ducks and still or stagnant waters. Her colors are pale blue and coral.
  
• Okoto: This path is known as the underwater assassin. Her colors are indigo and blood red and her symbolism includes that of pirates.
  
• Majalewo: This path lives in the forest with the herbalist orisha, Osanyin. She is associated with the marketplace and her shrines are decorated with 21 plates. Her colors are teals and turquoises.
  
• Ibu Aro: This path is similar to Majalewo in that she is associated with markets, commerce and her shrines are decorated with plates. Her colors are darker; indigo, crystal and red coral. Her crown (and husband) is the orisha Oshumare, the rainbow.
  
• Ashaba: This path is said to be so beautiful that no human can look at her directly.

In the Kongo religions, such as Palo Mayombe, Palo Monte, Kimbisa and Briumba, she is known as Mà Lango, or Madré D'Agua—Mother of Waters.

Here are the Veves...

I think it's an awesome idea because then the accesories in a way will be endowed with meaning and maybe mystical powers...Cool eh?

Erzulie Freda

Erzulie Dantor

Baron Samedi

La Sirene and her husband Agwe ( the water or ocean)

Cool, eh?

This Musical Must be Revived on Broadway, STAT!!!

I have always been a devoted worshipper of Coco Chanel.

Being that by religious faith I am Lukumi meets Buddhist, I believe in the concept of "mounting" Get your minds out of the gutter...not that kind of mounting. In Lukumi or Regla de Ocha, mounting means that a spirit takes you over. Sometimes it's the spirit of a Loa ( or Orisha, that is a deity such as Oshun or Yemaya) or the spirit of a person or ancestor.

I like to fantasize that the spirit "mounting" me, is that of Coco Chanel, particularly when I am designing. We are intellectually and emotionally very similar people.

I keep by my bedside a protrait of Coco Chanel

and I have a big poster of Lagerfeld's sketches of Chanel through time that he did for the exhibit at the Met a few years ago. It is the first thing I see when I open my eyes in the morning.

I also own a precious Chanel necklace of a Coco Chanel doll that I was infinitely lucky to buy on auction and I am told it's extremely rare.

I love Coco Chanel.

Well turns out that there was a "Coco Chanel: The Musical" back in 1969.

Choreographed by none other that my adored choreography role model, Michael Bennett.

He passed away in the early days of AIDS. He also choreographed "A Chorus Line".

The musical starred Kate Hepburn. And I think this show should be revived IMMEDIATELY if for the costumes only. And the only person that could play her would be Salma Hayek...

No, don't even THINK of Audrey Tatou. She is annoyingly perky...

Here is video of Kate Hepburn in "Coco"

http://www.bluegobo.com/video.php?var=10098

Crazy busy and 1st Sketch of the Sweeney Todd Collection

I am insane busy this week I have 22 flats to re-do and ink, 2 more full illustrations a 12 page research paper and a midterm to study for. That on top of a six-hour "battery" style job inteview on Tuesday.

So bear with me....

But meanwhile here is the first sketch of the "Sweeney Todd" collections...

This one is called "There's No Place Like London" and it's a skull-print organza off the shoulder blouse, tailored distressed corduroy paisley waiscoat and fall-front jean "breeches" . I also designed a satchel bag to go with it with bleeding rose ( the translation of my name in Romanian) and victorian spat stilletto booties.

.. me know what what you think..

Victorian Schiaparelli-esque Obscene Dress ARGHHH

I am working on the flats for the Sweeney Todd-inspired " Never Forgive, Never Forget" collection for my final...

It's coming out TWISTED.

It's VERY Westwood-Moschino-Schiapparelli-Thomas Wylde- Chris March-cum Tripp Gothic Threads.... But seriously, that is like my style all the time.

I am doing a dress. A quite obscene Victorian dress...

See, I am taking elements from the movie.

In this case, Mrs. Lovett's Pie Shop.

I designed a very simple Victorian dress with a high neckline with a kick pleat inset that goes exactly from the seam at the lower hip/crotch to the bottom of the dress.

The body of the dress would be in this fabric... a sage/white toile...

And the kick micro-pleat inset that serves as an arrow to...the hooha is going to be in this fabric...

with a lace trim at the high neck and cuffs like such...

The REALLY obcene part of the dress is that I am adding to it a trompe-l'oeuil Victorian shop sign that goes from the shoulder( with the post) to the crotch ( bottom part of the sign). Kind of like this

Except the sign is elongated and goes from the collar to the pudendum and read's "Mrs Lovett's and then this...

and 's

On top of ... you guessed it... the area where "the pie" would be.....right on it.

It was a feat of engineering to figure out how to do it...

I am just guessing... is the base fabric too distracting from the trompe l'oeuil sing because it's a print?

Just wondering...

Here are photos of the front flat...

I aimed to make a play on Victorian sexual mores and on how you could take the most covered up Victorian dress and turn it into the most overtly sexual dress ever although laughing your ass off in the process.

And most designers NEVER think of calling attention to the most obviously sexual of parts in women... Men have codpieces and what not why are women not proud of their va-jay-jays or in this case, their pies....

"Chemical Romance" by AD: Oxen and what can we learn from them?

There are several models out there that people many embrace for finding a good mate. The astrological model is one that we may not all be familiar with and is a good model to hoist up into the spotlight, for it can take the scrutiny.

With a resounding anti-arranged marriage sentiment here in the U.S., the call for 'let me make my own mistake!' rings loud and clear. Yet in the ancient ways, there was a reason for arrangements that was not necessarily related to concentration of wealth and power.

The astrological model consists of complements, while the dominant model (at least that I hear) is of matching equals. In the complement model when you are strong right handed, you would be matched with a strong left hand. In the present position of many, they want another strong right hand.

The frequent assertion is that one wants a 'best friend'. Yet the only friends one may have resembles them! How many times have we heard, 'oh we have soooo much in common!'? So it seems reasonable to conclude that the logical resolution of many is the pairing of equivalence, instead of complements.

This is where the analogy of the oxen come in. If one has one pair of oxen, with both right dominant shoulders.. the farmer will not plow straight lines. Also, if they are not complement in energy , the chorus of expended energy can not focus into the fertile ground. It works against them, less efficient.



We may see this in our relationships. Without the pairing of complements, we steer in circles or fight each other in disharmony. The difference between us is not inherently bad. It provides the balance to absorb all the energies of life and not only the common ones.

At a time when many people are looking for friends to pair with, it is quite extra-ordinary that people want copies of themselves. Truly exposing our inability to reach out to those different than us and see that it is diversity that makes one stable!

There is a tremendous release of energy when we pair, it is hard to argue here. Yet, IS it better to look into anothers eyes and see much of oneself.. or another person who forces one to look inside themselves and possibly see themselves differently? Growth and full exploration of the dimensions of life can be revealed in an opposite.

The complementary relations in many areas of life can provide the balance missing with two equals. The balance can provide the steering necessary for the movement forward of both parties, the lack of it can track circles of the most un-inspiring sort.